fox dreams
fox dreams
edited by Aubrie Cox
fox dreams is a project from Yay Words! Poets were invited to submit short form poetry and artwork about foxes and/or dreams to celebrate the Inari Matsuri festival. Each poet who submitted was guaranteed at least one poem into the collection.
All poems and artwork copyright of their authors.
Cover art “Dreaming World” by C. J. C.
IntroductionDreams and foxes both charm and allude us. They appear in the corner of our eyes, only to vanish the moment we consciously register their presence. Foxes, while they run rampant in folklore and mythology, are difficult to keep on the page—they’d rather be devious! Dreams present the challenge of anchoring the abstract within the concrete. With each prompt I give on Yay Words! it’s my goal to challenge and inspire. I try to select two themes that are a little unusual, complementary, and would make, in my humble opinion, for good poems.
Every time, I always secretly worry that perhaps I’ve chosen something too difficult, or uninteresting. But, of course, so many of you rose to the challenge fearlessly with beautiful words and imagery. Thank you for continuing to wow and inspire me.
May you all keep dreaming fantastic things.
Aubrie Cox22 April, 2012
“All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together.”
—Jack Kerouac
1
gatheringdream fragmentsin my mind’s eye...a sheet of white paperwith many coloured pens
Kirsten Cliff
Rain falls hardI’m paper-foldingmy fox’s tail
Dora Bampali
2
public park—to see a foxI shut my eyes
Andrea Cecon
dreamwork:two inflatable animalsbite one another
Michael Nickels-Wisdom
3
recurringdream#16.333iso/overbreakfast
Alan Summers
dream speak...sunlight on the opening
tulip’s tips
Kirsten Cliff
4
spring forwardan hour lostin delta-waves
Terri L. French
dreamless sleep...drifting in and outof birdsong
Cara Holman
5
middaydreamsthe forgotten meltof iced teafrom within my handsa note to say I miss you
Kathy Nguyen
6 haiga by Bette Norcross Wappner
7haiga by Christine L. Villa
8
If a fox dreamt, dreamswhat dreams would he dream?Fancy forest resorts, air-conditioned caves andbaby rabbits cooked in cream.
Sapna
did somebody die?waking to fears of murderI hear the foxes
Dru Marland
9
red fox dreamthe rustle of micethrough the den
Martin Gottlieb Cohen
things lost in the movea fox trots offwith its kill
Jennifer Corpe
10
stealing awayfrom my yard again, little fox!first blossoms
Stella Pierides
storytimefalling for the foxopen-mouthed
Peter Newton
11
fox huntthe beagle chasesa butterfly
Terri L. French
12
surprised—coming around the barnme and the fox
Jerry Dreesen
after my dream,fox printson the verandah
Michael Dylan Welch
13
virgin snowa fox makes printsfor the morning
Alan Summers
art by Dru Marland
14
recurring test dream:no #2 penciland I’m naked
Mark E. Brager
flying fox . . .his inexplicablelaughter
Margaret Dornaus
15
the office tricksteris drinking again…as he turns awayI double-checkfor his tail
Christina Nguyen
askingfor a fox poemgives me paws
Lucas Stensland
16
spring spreedancing the foxtroton the moon
Maria Santomauro
a night on the townslicker than the city elveschecking my tie in the windowof the Polish grocery and whisperingO FoxTrue Fox
Marie Marshall
17
pub crawltwo lonely guysfox hunting
Johnny Baranski
infoxidating
Peter Newton
a fox headon the barroom wall . . .her number blurred
Michael Dylan Welch
18
dawn dreamthe redhead fluffsher tail
Susan Murata
she shapeshiftsfrom a fox to a girl—one more round!
Wayne Chou
19
after a night ripped apartby the quarreling foxesthe dawnsoundless and softas the cockerel’s feathers
Dave Serjeant
20
the police car slows—urban foxeslooting from bins
Dave Serjeant
My mother opened the doorto meet a red fox fleeing to the suburbswhen the forest was cut down to make a subdivision.I am sureshe haunted his dreams.
Sid Kemp
21
fox prints...I release my dreamsto the dawn
Cara Holman
22
late to schoolwe drive fast through the dark—fox shadow
Yousei Hime
sunrisedreaming the fox awayfrom the road
Melissa Allen
23haiga by Angie Werren
24
thunder snowthe wind-shifting scentof fox
Alan Summers
wolves gnawingat my dream . . .singing bowls
Randy Brooks
25
chasing your veiled facethrough the landscapeof snow dreamsfox tracks lead usdeep into hearts den
Carmella Braniger
26
fox moonmust it always bethis lightthat draws your anguishso feared so misunderstood?
your pawson thawing banks the tractsyou left for meas if I’ve lost you inthe moon’s shifting moods
silencethe midnight wind sendsyou howlingalways you miss my whispersshushing your longings
fox moonAlegria Imperial
27
in dappled shadowsthe fire burns in your eyessinges rustling leavesyou step in the moonlightwhere we lay down your embers
come out of hidingwhat greater fate is therethat awaitsthan for us to bare our desireswe live for this and this alone
28
somewherea light in the forest . . .foxfire
Margaret Dornaus
29doodleku by Terri L. French
30
kitsunefrom her dark hipthe moon’s curve
Martin Gottlieb Cohen
kitsunein the mistlightfootedbetween dreamsand waking
Wayne Chou
31
mischievous fox that I lovecome to me this nightwhisper your dreams into melet me run with you
kitsune in the mist, your eyestwinkle in time with my heart
KC Sloan
32
fireflies . . .the dreams I hadas a child
Chad Lee Robinson
she hides her tailsunder her kimonospring festival
Wayne Chou
33
on our wayto a fox weddingI dreamedyour facebefore you were born
Carmella Braniger
34
Inariby the village wellI bark at the moonstop this ragged yappingso I might sing your song
Inariat the temple gateI flick my soft earslet me shed this useless peltto walk among them a woman
Inariunder the sacred treeI swish my nine tailsgive me a second chanceas a human wife and mother
The Kitsune's PleaChristina Nguyen
35
snow moonthe silence betweenthe vixen’s cries
Dave Serjeant
36
my daydreamscarry me placesi’ve never beenwandering Sicilian villagesi search for grandmother
Pamela A. Babusci
foxhole—in my dream I can seeyou too clearly
Margaret Dornaus
37
in my dream,the father I didn’t knowis there and not there
Michael Nickels-Wisdom
moonlightI’ve had this conversationin a dream
Steve Mitchell
38
Nobody has really lived until they’ve had the pleasure of crawling around on hands and knees in a dark tent at three in the morning, shining a flashlight in all corners to look for bugs, while thirteen slightly hysterical nine-year-old Cub Scouts look on.
“It was over there,” one says, “and it was this big.”
“No, this big.”
“I saw it flying around.”
“I want to go home.”
shadows on the wallin shifting patternsevery nightI go home again in my dreams
Where the Heart IsCara Holman
39
dreaming againa houseI never knew
Daphne Purpus
falling dream the alarm clock catches me
Mark E. Brager
40
art b
y K
ris K
ondo
41
foxes hiding...gentle breezes ripple their tails
Kris Kondo
42
autumn lakedusk settles on the red fox
Martin Gottlieb Cohen
fox hunt—the painter’s brushdipped in ochre
Michael Dylan Welch
43
red fox by the waterseeing doublein my dreams
Kris Kennedy
44
The snow tells usa fox has found the pathwe made in summer
Kris Lindbeck
a fox followsthe path of least resistanceinto my dreams
Sid Kemp
45
weeping willowI wake up laughingfrom a dream
Christine L. Villa
46
if my brother had dreamsbeyond his youthhe never spoke of them—the riverstill cold in June
Chad Lee Robinson
sick bedhis shadow just reachesthe dream catcher
Mark E. Brager
47
Dream CatcherKirsten Cliff & Cara Holman
crosswindsstruggling not to recall
last night’s dream
the morning skyfilled with rain
drifting fogwhere does the dream end
and I begin
dream catcherI tell myself whatI want to believe
across dandelioned fieldsa hawk’s shadow
river reedsweaving daydreams
into stories
48
a dandelionbehind her earshe has so many dreamsto sharewith me
Randy Brooks
youthful dreams drifting awayimpressions remain on her heart
Karen Chandler
49
childhood friendher dream of beingsomewhere else
Peter Newton
dreamcatcherthe feathered lightso soft on her faceI’d grant all of her wishesif only I could
Cara Holman
50
in my dreamrunning scaredthrough a wildflower fieldthis morning is thefirst day of chemo
Pamela A. Babusci
yellow poppybreaks from its shellwhat I’d forgottenfrom lastnight’s dream
Aubrie Cox
51
crossing the meadowto meet my brother—on my toesthe touch of grasslong after the dream
Chad Lee Robinson
52
my dreamseemed so real;clover billows
Michael Nickels-Wisdom
Links OutMelissa Allen - Red Dragonfly
Dora Bampali - turns of endearment
Johnny Baranski - @haikumonk
Randy Brooks - MU Haiku
Andrea Cecon - @andreaochka
Karen Chandler - Visioning
Kirsten Cliff - Swimming in Lines of Haiku
Martin Gottlieb Cohen - @martin1223
Aubrie Cox - Yay Words!
Margaret Dornaus - Haiku-doodle
Jerry Dreesen - Jerry Dreesen’s Art Gallery
Terri L. French - The Mulling Muse
Yousei Hime - Shiteki Na Usagi
Cara Holman - Prose Posies
Alegria Imperial - jornales
Sid Kemp - @Eternal_Spring
Kris Kennedy - Integrative Thought
Kris Lindbeck - Haiku etc.
Dru Marland - Upside Down in Cloud
Marie Marshall - Marie Marshall
Steve Mitchell - Heed Not Steve
Peter Newton - @ThePeterNewton
Christina Nguyen - A wish for the sky...
Kathy Nguyen - Poetry by Lotus
Stella Pierides - Stella Pierides
Daphne Purpus - Daphne’s Tanka Diary < http://daphnepurpus.com/>
Chad Lee Robinson - Chad Lee Robinson
Sapna - Just Another Wake-Up Call
Dave Serjeant - distant lightning
KC Sloan - Kyotzeta
Alan Summers - With Words
Christine L. Villa - Blossom Rain
Michael Dylan Welch - Graceguts
Angie Werren - feathers
CreditsThe following poems first appeared in the listed publications.
“after a night ripped apart” by Dave Serjeant Blithe Spirit 20:4
“crossing the meadow” by Chad Lee RobinsonRibbons: Tanka Society of America Journal I:4, Winter 2005, Editor’s Choice
“dream speak” by Kirsten CliffDailyHaiku Cycle 12, Nov. 4, 2011
“dreamless sleep…” by Cara HolmanA Hundred Gourds 1:1, December 2011
“fireflies . . .” by Chad Lee RobinsonThe Heron’s Nest X:1, March 2008
“if my brother had dreams” by Chad Lee RobinsonRed Lights 7:2, June 2011
“in my dream” by Pamela A. BabusciGusts, 2010
“my daydreams” by Pamela A. BabusciRibbons Tanka Cafe, 2011
“the police car slows” by Dave Serjeant Blithe Spirit 16:4
“snow moon” by Dave Serjeant Presence 44
“virgin snow” by Alan SummersIcebox, Hailstone Haiku Circle Japan, 2010; a little help from my friends, Red Dragonfly ePamphlet 2011; The Haiku Calendar 2012 (Snapshot Press)
“wolves gnawing” by Randy BrooksThe Heron’s Nest, March 2004
IndexAllen, Melissa - 22
Babusci, Pamela A. - 36, 50Bampali, Dora - 1Baranski, Johnny - 17Brager, Mark E. - 14, 39, 46Braniger, Carmella - 25, 33Brooks, Randy - 24, 48
Cecon, Andrea - 2Chandler, Karen - 48Chou, Wayne - 18, 30, 32Cliff, Kirsten - 1, 3, 47Cohen, Martin Gottlieb - 9, 30, 42Corpe, Jennifer - 9Cox, Aubrie - 50
Dornaus, Margaret - 14, 28, 36Dreesen, Jerry - 12
French, Terri L. - 4, 11, 29
Hime, Yousei - 22Holman, Cara - 4, 21, 38, 47, 49
Imperial, Alegria - 26-27
Kemp, Sid - 20, 44Kennedy, Kris - 43Kondo, Kris - 40-41
Lindbeck, Kris - 44
Marland, Dru - 8, 13Marshall, Marie - 16Mitchell, Steve - 37Murata, Susan - 18
Newton, Peter - 10, 17, 49Nickles-Wisdom, Michael - 2, 37, 52Nguyen, Christina - 15, 34Nguyen, Kathy - 5
Pierides, Stella - 10Purpus, Daphne - 39
Robinson, Chad Lee - 32, 46, 51
Santomauro, Maria - 16Sapna - 8Serjeant, Dave - 19, 20, 35Sloan, KC - 31Stensland, Lucas - 15Summers, Alan - 3, 13, 24
Villa, Christine L. - 7, 45
Wappner, Bette Norcross (b’oki) - 6Welch, Michael Dylan - 12, 17, 42Werren, Angie - 23
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